Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 51 - 47: Buffing to the Limit

Chapter 51: Chapter 47: Buffing to the Limit

A succession of clanging weapons echoed continuously, as the Ranger player was relentlessly driven back by the Eastern Barbarian Shadow Servant.

The swords of the Eastern Barbarians, inherently designed for heavy slashing, were wielded with both hands and unleashed in an onslaught comparable to a sudden, violent storm, especially since the Shadow Servant had the advantage of the initial surprise attack.

Fortunately, this Ranger player had legitimately cleared the Trial Illusion instance and, supported by his "Chivalrous Unyielding" talent, he was able to parry the slashes of the sword with his Longsword amidst swift movements, managing to hold on by a thread.

However, he quickly found himself in a perilous situation where several times the tip of the Eastern Barbarian’s sword even grazed his clothing; a few inches deeper would have had him bleeding out on the spot.

The other players weren’t faring much better.

Although they had formed a good battle formation before the fight, as soon as they engaged, chaos ensued.

Conversely, the cooperation among the Eastern Barbarian invaders was exceptionally harmonious. The General charged with his massive cross spear, ripping a tear through the players’ formation, followed by two Shadow Servants attacking the flanks and the marauders rushing in, quickly tipping the battle situation towards a total collapse.

Apart from Zhao Haiping and a few other players who quickly adapted and grew firmer in their counterattacks, most players were confounded by the sudden spike in intensity.

Outside the battlefield, Du Gang’s hand reached nervously towards the small of his back, gripping his handgun.

Even from such a distance, he could still feel the immense oppressive aura radiating from the Eastern Barbarian General!

It was the dangerously palpable feeling that only those who have truly fought through fields of death and held countless lives in their hands could emanate!

In fact, if the players hadn’t gone through numerous real battles in the Illusion Realm, they might have already crumbled under the pressure, succumbing to psychological breakdowns and fleeing for their lives.

Adding to that, the players hadn’t trained in military formation teamwork, so it was normal for them to fight individually and struggle with coordination under such rushed circumstances.

Moreover, a significant factor was the eerie psychological pressure brought upon by the demons possessing the Eastern Barbarian raiders.

The players, convinced this was just a game and protected by their Return Order Ability, were relatively less affected by this oppression; whereas Du Gang and his like, who were not shielded by this power, felt the terror spread within them like darkness of the night, forcing them to draw upon their willpower to resist turning and fleeing.

Now Du Gang understood why Beichen insisted on using players with Return Order Abilities to handle these supernatural invaders from the Illusion Realm.

Because, indeed, it’s tough to deal with them using conventional firearms!

Although they could use guns to eliminate these demons now, what about next time? Or the time after that?

Those executing the task would suffer continual psychological erosion, and once gunshots were fired, it would be challenging to contain the news. If exposed, it would likely cause nationwide and even global panic. Moreover, once the news got out, it would mean the end of using players to combat the demons...

In short, given the current situation, having players resolve the issue seemed undoubtedly the best method.

Of course, that’s assuming these players could actually calm their initial panic and turn the tide of battle.

Outside the technology park, passersby occasionally strolled by.

Out of curiosity, they tried to peer inside, having heard faint sounds of battle cries.

However, the staff responsible for sealing the area stopped them.

"Hello, what activity is happening inside? Why can I hear battle cries?" a passerby asked curiously.

The staff member explained, "This is an offline event for ’Dark Sand,’ a mixed reality game mode. You can think of it as something similar to a film set."

The passerby showed a surprised expression: "Oh? That’s quite thrilling, isn’t it? Can I take a look inside?"

The staff member immediately shook his head: "Sorry, the MR game mode is currently in closed beta and is treated as a commercial secret, not open to the public. Only players who have qualified can experience it."

The passerby appeared disappointed, "Ah, what a shame I didn’t get the closed beta access.

"But on second thought, isn’t your company being a bit too willful? Wouldn’t opening it up to onlookers create more buzz?"

The staff member returned a polite smile: "Do you think our company needs more buzz?"

The passerby was momentarily at a loss for words.

Well... they probably don’t, right!

Trying once more to extend their neck for a better view but seeing nothing, the passerby shook their head and walked away with regret.

...

At this moment, inside the park, the battle situation was extremely critical.

The battle line that the players had just begun to construct didn’t serve much purpose as the Eastern Barbarian General scattered the players with just a few charges, leaving them to fight on their own.

Fortunately, the players had all been honed through the ordeal of the Trial Illusion instance, so they barely managed to stabilize their footing.

A foot soldier player charged vehemently at an Eastern Barbarian Shadow Servant, temporarily saving an injured Ranger player.

But upon turning their head, they saw the Eastern Barbarian General wheel his horse around and charge back, his cross spear aimed directly at Zhao Haiping, who was engaged in combat with two Eastern Barbarian thugs!

Clearly, the Eastern Barbarian General had also noticed that among the foot soldiers, Zhao Haiping was the most capable fighter and had the firmest will to fight.

Now that the foot soldier’s formation had been dispersed and they had fallen into isolated combat, he intended to take out Zhao Haiping first, which would make the following battle much easier!

The nearby players saw this too, but beyond shouting warnings, they were helpless, as the Eastern Barbarian General’s charge on horseback completely overpowered all the foot soldier players. No one could possibly withstand his cross spear.

Zhao Haiping heard the warnings as well, but first, he was being attacked by two Eastern Barbarian thugs in front of him, making it hard to be distracted, and second, the Eastern Barbarian General’s attack came too quickly to react.

He could only hurriedly parry the barbarian swords, then roll to the side as best as he could!

The cross spear grazed his armor. Had it been any closer, Zhao Haiping would have been impaled and sent flying.

However, the Eastern Barbarian General, clad in heavy armor, was not clumsy at all. Although his cross spear missed, he abruptly reined his horse and twisted his body. As the warhorse reared on its two front legs, he swung his spear and struck Zhao Haiping with force!

In the instant the spear swept toward him, a sense of dread flashed through Zhao Haiping’s mind as he inwardly cursed his luck.

Though he was clad in the armor of a foot soldier, the protective effect was limited. He had already witnessed the force behind the Eastern Barbarian General’s strength. This strike might not kill him, but it would undoubtedly knock him to the ground unable to rise.

But there was no time left to dodge.

It was only a game, after all, but Zhao Haiping still felt a tinge of regret. To be the first one knocked out so soon into the game would damage his reputation as a top player.

However, just as the cross spear was about to hit him, Zhao Haiping heard a loud and resounding shout coming from a distance.

"Why worry about lacking armor, when I share my robe with you!"

The moment the cross spear hit Zhao Haiping, he felt an illusion as if the armor on his body flashed with a special light, and something intangible changed.

A dull thud sounded, and Zhao Haiping was sent flying by the cross spear, tumbling several times on the ground.

But just when everyone thought he was about to be knocked out of the game, Zhao Haiping got up, looking bewildered.

Though the site where he was hit indeed hurt and slightly hindered his movement, with blood at the corner of his mouth, he did not suffer fatal damage as he had expected.

The other players, however, clearly saw that at the same time Zhao Haiping was sent flying, someone from among the scholars was also launched into the air.

The other three scholars incredulously watched Chu Ge rise from the ground, wiping the blood from his lips.

Could this even be possible?

Before, these scholar players could only watch anxiously as foot soldiers, assassins, and Ranger players fought fiercely with the Eastern Barbarian thugs, completely unsure of what to do.

In the face of Zhao Haiping’s peril, Chu Ge couldn’t hold back any longer and, setting aside his shame, belted out "Why worry about lacking armor, when I share my robe with you!"

He hadn’t really thought it through, the outcry was simply an impulsive response.

Yet, shouting those words actually had an effect!

Though the Eastern Barbarian General’s cross spear had struck Zhao Haiping, the damage seemed to have been reduced and shared!

Chu Ge was standing far away but was also sent flying, crashing to the ground.

However, judging by Chu Ge’s condition, even though he shared the damage, the consequences were completely bearable.

On the one hand, this could be because these scholars had all endured bone scraping to heal wounds while in prison and had developed a high tolerance for pain. They were not complete weaklings, but the more crucial point was that this shared damage, after being affected by upstanding righteousness, seemed to have a special mechanism with a significant damage reduction effect.

Considering the attack power of the Eastern Barbarian General, a direct hit to any of the scholars would probably have resulted in an instant death.

But after sharing the damage, Chu Ge could still stand up, which was enough to prove a point!

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